Hee Won lowered her head at Kang Woo’s intense gaze fixed on her.

Her feelings were strange. It was because today was the day she had been waiting for for a long time.

‘If I take this hand, I can escape from that wretched house. Finally, I’m escaping.’

Her emotions were extraordinary. The past began to unfold in her mind like a panorama.

[How dare you defy your father’s words? Do you think I dress you nicely so you can mingle with those kinds of people?]

Forget about having a boyfriend, she couldn’t even meet friends without Chairman Seong’s permission.

It’s not that she hadn’t tried to rebel. But every time, her heart crumbled helplessly in the face of brutal beatings.

He would slap her hard enough to tear her skin, or lock her in a room and starve her for days.

Each time, the man who called himself her father would say:

[It’s for your own good. It’s all for you!]

After beating her, Chairman Seong always blamed Hee Won for the cause.

[If only you behaved, the household would be peaceful. You need to be worth raising. Anyway, you take after your mother, dull and stupid. Tsk, there’s not a single resemblance. How disappointing!]

At one point, seeing Chairman Seong spew such harsh words, Hee Won wished she wasn’t his real daughter.

If he wasn’t her real father, her body and mind wouldn’t have to be covered in wounds.

She endured, receiving contempt and insults since childhood. And as time passed, she realized that her rebellion was meaningless.

She began to realize that if she did nothing at all, it would hurt less. Her rebellion against Chairman Seong became once a week, then once a month.

As more time passed, Hee Won became exhausted by the unchanging reality no matter how much she struggled, and eventually ended up doing nothing, just like now.

[These days, they say there’s no better job for a woman than being a teacher. Elementary school would be better than dealing with older kids. Write down elementary education.]

Chairman Seong even decided which department Hee Won would apply to.

Hee Won regained hope at the thought that she might be assigned to a rural area due to the shortage of elementary school teachers there.

If she could escape, she could endure anything.

However, it didn’t take long for her expectations to be shattered.

As soon as his daughter entered university, her father put Hee Won on the marriage market, and she began going on arranged dates from the age of 20.

Weekends were for meeting potential suitors. She went on dates every weekend with men 8 to 20 years older than her.

Despite countless arranged dates over three years, the reason she hadn’t married was also because of Chairman Seong.

[Tsk, at least it should be someone from LS to accept as a son-in-law! Who are you trying to entice with that measly company!]

Chairman Seong forgot that Jinseong Foods was a medium-sized company, and wanted to form a marriage alliance with a company on par with LS Group, ranked first in Korea’s business world.

The reason Chairman Seong was so greedy was because of Hee Won’s appearance and reputation.

[Do you know what people say about you? They call you the flower of Jinseong Foods. Many have their eyes on you, saying you’re unusually quiet and modest for kids these days. There are many who want to become in-laws, haha. See? This is all thanks to me. See? If it weren’t for me or your mother, do you think you could live like this now? Haha.]

Even though Jinseong Foods wasn’t a large corporation, heirs from chaebol families who had heard rumors or seen Hee Won in person discreetly expressed their intention to marry through matchmakers to Chairman Seong.

Chairman Seong was pleased when a good price was put on his merchandise, and his standards for a son-in-law kept rising.

But Hee Won, the person concerned, couldn’t laugh along with her father.

[They say she’s very smart, takes after me, has a good educational background, and comes from a good family. Plus, she’s beautiful. Isn’t it all thanks to me!]

A flower? What a ridiculous thing to say.

This was the same father who had insulted her deceased mother, spewing harsh words about her being stupid.

Hee Won often felt a surge of anger every time she heard her father’s words.

But the situation had changed. Now that she was married to Kang Woo, her father wouldn’t be able to interfere with her like before.

As Kang Woo said, if she went abroad with the alimony she would receive after three years, her connection with Chairman Seong would finally end.

‘That’s right. That’s all I need. After we separate in three years……’

Suddenly, her heart ached.

Finally, she would be able to escape from home, it should be a day to jump for joy, but instead she became sad.

Just thinking about parting with Kang Woo, which was still far off.

“Seong Hee Won.”

Hee Won raised her head at Kang Woo’s call.

“Are you alright?”

At his kind words, at the large hand enveloping hers, Hee Won felt like she might cry for some reason.

“Yes.”

Because it was a feeling she couldn’t let him discover, Hee Won bit the soft flesh inside her mouth hard and forcibly raised the corners of her mouth that refused to lift.

Kang Woo, who had been staring at her intently, opened his mouth.

“Hee Won.”

“Yes?”

It was the first time, Kang Woo calling her affectionately without her surname.

When she opened her eyes wide in surprise, his eyes curved roundly. It was the first time she saw a face that seemed to hold sincerity rather than a formal smile.

Thump thump, her heart began to beat rapidly, and the anxiety and sadness that had filled her heart began to fade away as if it had been a lie.

“I’d like it if you would call me by a different name too, not Mr. Cha Kang Woo. We’re married now, aren’t we?”

As if it were a lie, Hee Won was no longer sad.

[This is the timeline separator]

At Kang Woo’s suggestion, the wedding ceremony proceeded with the bride and groom entering simultaneously.

[I’d like to have a wedding without an officiant, what do you think, Seong Hee Won?] [Can we do that as we please?] [I’ve persuaded my father. I don’t like stiff ceremonies. So, I’d like to enter together with you, Seong Hee Won… Would that be uncomfortable?] [What? No! I’d like that too.] [I’m glad.]

In fact, Hee Won wasn’t confident she could smile while entering holding Chairman Seong’s hand. But she couldn’t say she wanted to enter alone or simultaneously while her living father was present.

But Kang Woo had suggested the simultaneous entrance first. The moment when she couldn’t properly express her gratitude and could only tear up quickly passed.

While Hee Won was lost in thought, the wedding ceremony had already rushed towards its final stages.

“Now the two have promised lifelong love. The bride and groom will exchange rings as a symbol of their marriage. The groom will first place the ring on the bride’s finger, and then the bride will place the ring on the groom’s finger.”

As Director Kang, who was acting as the master of ceremonies, finished speaking, Kang Woo took out the ring and placed it on the fourth finger of her left hand. As he put on the ring, the day they went to buy rings began to unfold like a panorama in Hee Won’s mind.

Although she went with Kang Woo to choose wedding rings, from the moment they entered the store, her mind went blank and she couldn’t choose anything. There were many types of rings, and they all looked similar, glittering brightly.

In fact, she had never bought anything of her own will in her life. So even when given the opportunity, she didn’t dare to make a choice.

That’s when Kang Woo whispered in her ear.

[Take your time to choose what you want, Seong Hee Won. We don’t have any other schedules, so look around without feeling pressured.]

Kang Woo’s words echoed in her heart.

It took an hour to gather the courage to make a choice, but Kang Woo waited beside her without showing any signs of dislike.

Hee Won chose for herself for the first time. And she even decided for someone else.

With a nervous expression, she held out the ring she had chosen to Kang Woo.

[It’s beautiful. I think it will suit you well, Seong Hee Won.] [This is your ring, Mr. Cha Kang Woo. It’s not a couple ring, but somehow the design seemed similar.] [I love it. I think I like it even more because you chose it, Seong Hee Won.]

A smile spread across his face. And he held out his hand.

[Would you put it on for me?] [What? Now?] [Yes. Since you chose the ring, I’d like to try it on right away.]

The feeling Hee Won had when she put the ring she had chosen on Kang Woo’s thick finger was truly indescribable.

And then.

[How is it? Does it suit me well?] […Yes. It suits you very well.]

When she saw Kang Woo’s smiling face, her heart began to race loudly.

Seeing his joyful face, the emotion that had been crouching deep in her heart peeked out.

That she liked him too much.

“Now the two have become husband and wife. Please give them a round of applause. Now, we can’t skip the kiss of commitment, can we?”

Before the master of ceremonies finished speaking, Kang Woo lifted her veil.

When her eyes met his deep black eyes that seemed to draw her in, Hee Won’s heart began to beat rapidly.

A low, soft voice reached her ears.

“If you’re not uncomfortable.”

He asked in a very small voice that only she could hear.

“May I kiss you?”

At Kang Woo’s gaze and voice, Hee Won’s heart sank.

‘Ah… I.’

Her head went blank as if she had been hit on the back of the head.

Her feelings towards Kang Woo were not simply liking him.

The inexplicable nervousness and the feeling of being drawn to him that she had thought was just concern was because she was in love with him.

It was an emotion she couldn’t stop now, even though she knew it was crazy.

But it was a feeling she shouldn’t reveal to Kang Woo.

She didn’t want to burden him in a relationship that was just a contract marriage, one that would end in three years.

Hee Won bit her lower lip hard, not wanting to reveal her trembling heart.

And instead of answering, she nodded.

The corners of Kang Woo’s mouth lifted as his face drew closer.

Her head felt dizzy from his scent as he closed the distance until their noses almost touched.

Her heart felt like it would burst at his hot breath on her skin.

Finally, something soft and hot touched her lips. The point of contact felt as if it was burning.

Even though it was just a peck, a mere kiss, it felt so good that a thrill ran through her entire body.

The sound of her pounding heart was louder than ever before.